KELLY WILSON
Director of Community Partners
REDUCING FOOD INSECURITY IN MID MICHIGAN These organizations are creatively fighting hunger in their communities. The Coronavirus pandemic ended a decade long downward trend in US household food insecurity. According to Feeding America, 45 million people were food insecure(lacking consistent access to enough culturally relevant food for an active, healthy life) in 2020. These numbers have improved slightly in 2021, but it is estimated that 43 million people will still be food insecure this year. In Michigan, 14.2% of our population is currently experiencing food insecurity.
H I D D E N H A RV E S T
Saginaw
Putting Good Food to Good Use Hidden Harvest rescues perishable food and redistributes it to those in need in the Great Lakes Bay region. Early in the pandemic, school and restaurant closings put large volumes of food at risk of being wasted and Hidden Harvest worked quickly to redirect it to their 181 partner emergency food sites. Over the course of 2020, they redistributed 3.3 million pounds of food, a 32% increase from 2019. In addition to rescuing food, Hidden Harvest also distributed fresh produce from local farms. “One of our favorite relationships is with a local farmer who grows sweet corn for us. This year he connected us to a few more farms so we’ll have even more to distribute next season,” says Samantha McKenzie, Hidden Harvest President and CEO. To learn more, visit hiddenharvestshares.org
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